What is a cultured pearl necklace?
A cultured pearl necklace is a necklace made with pearls that are produced with human interaction. Natural pearls form in a mollusk by pure chance. Cultured pearls are produced when a human introduces a foreign object into a mollusk and then lets the mollusk produce the pearl.Kokichi MikimotoIn the 19th and 20th century, researchers in Japan discovered a method to artificially make pearls. Kokichi Mikimoto went on to perfect this process and patented the process in 1916.ProcessA cultured pearl is produced when a foreign substance, which they call a nucleus, is surgically placed into the tissue of a mollusk. The mollusk is then place back into the sea and allowed to form a pearl naturally basically helping mother nature along.DifferencesNatural and cultured pearls are very difficult to tell apart as they are formed in the same way and look the same. There are tests that can be run by gemology labs that can determine the difference. These tests include X-ray and inspection of a hole dril
